Cap and package



E. SCOFIELD July 9, 1935.

CAP AND PACKAGE Filed Oct. 18, 1930 INVENTOR Patented July'9, 1935 faoo'zas'z' I GAP' 'AND PACKAGE Edgar sqofiem, New" York, N] Y., assignor to Anchor" Cap & Closure Corporation, Long Island City, N. 'Y a'fa corporation of New York Application'octobcrrl8, 1930, Serial No. 489,511

. aql'aims. Cl.- 215- 38) V The present invention relates tothe sealing art grip the neck of a bottle circumferentially attwo and moreparticularly to sealed packages and closure caps therefor.

1 g In packing ketchup, chili sauce and the like,it

is customary, at. the present time, to utilize a bottle which, is sealedby means of the well known fcrown corkfcap or; by'means ofa cork. disc which is'held in place by a strip of ductile metal spun thereabout.- Such closure caps. cannot i be used for reseal purposesor for cover caps! For convenience in "dispensing the contents. of thebottle,'a cover cap is provided which fits over the sealing cap .and is attached to the neck .of the bottle. 1 Such cover cap must bereadily applicable and easily removable In some cases; the cover cap isthreaded to the'neck of the container, and in other cases, afriction gripyis provided between the cover; cap and container; {the latteriis preferred by a number of packers becauseofithe ease of repeated application and removal. S'uchicaps may bemade-in one piece or. in two piecesiand, usually, thelower. edgeof :theicap isrolledEout wardly to forma wire edge. :Such-capsfhave-to be large enough to. fit ,over the sealing cap and, therefore, appear cumbersome. I In additiomthe iriction seals used at thepresenttime donot consistently retainthe capsjin. upright. position.

They may, during shipment, become'tilted to one v sideand impair the appearance of .theipa'ckage. This tendency is increased ,by the use ofthe ball finish, which facilitates application andremdval q i rc n." l, p 1 5 The present invention aims to overcomefthe above difliculties by providing acovercap' which is adapted :tofrictio-nally vengage the usual finishes including; the ball, finish; on commercial bottles, to hold the cap rigidly in'proper position. @Ihe constructionof ,the cap is such that it con- IOI'IIISZ'CO the shape of thebottle to give the appearance of, a neat and accurate fit and to avoid the appearance of a cumbersome, loose fit.

An object of the present invention is to provide an improved closure cap for ketchup bottles and thelike.; Another 1 bjectyof the inventioniswto provide aninexpensive closure cap which may be easily manufactured and :readily applied. to present types of ketchup bottles.

, 7 Another object of the inventionds-to-rprovide a one-piece closure caphaving-ia; series of sealing zones spaced above: each other, which-areadapted to engage the neck of a container efieetively at any point about the periphery thereofp:

, Anotheriobject of; the inventionisf ,toprovide a' new car inane. lf isilientgskirt adaptedIto;

be obvious upon an understanding of the illusdifierent zones spaced a substantial distance above each other.

Another 'objectof: the, invention is to provide a V one-piece closure cap which improvesthe .ap- .5 pearance of a package adapted to contain ketchup and the like. 1

A further object of the invention is to provide a'closure cap adapted to grip the container circumferentiallyat the bottom of the skirt of the capto frictionally hold the cap in proper position and to m ake'the cap appearsized to the neck of thefcontainer f 1 i a Other and "further' ob j ects of theinvention will trative embodiment about to be described, or will be'iiidicated in the appended claims, and various advantages not referred to herein willoccur to one skilled'inthe art upon employment of the invention in practice.

A preferred embodiment of the invention has been chosen for purposes of illustration and description and is shown in the accompanying drawing, forming a part of the specification, wherein Fig, l is a side elevational view of a. preferred embodiment of the invention;

Fig. 2 is a side elevational view, partly in section, illustrating the cap in Fig. 1 applied to a container;- and i Fig. 3 is a View similar to Fig. 2, showing a slightly different arrangement of the cap and container.- V b Referring more particularly to thejdrawing, thereis shown a container 1 having an annular bead orshoulder 2 adjacent themouth'thereof, which is shaped to provide the usual crown finish. A suitable closure cap 4' which may, for conven ience, be the usual crown cork cap used on soda pop bottles and the like, is, applied to the mouth of the containerand secured to the shoulder 2 in the usual manner to effect-a hermetic seal on the bott1e.-' It will' be understood that other types of hermetic seals maybe utilized, if desired. An I annular shoulder 5 is provided about the neck of the container azsubstantial distance below the shoulder 2. v .J-Interm'ediate these two shoulders is an arcuate surface 6, when viewed in vertical cross section,

and a circular surface, when viewed in horizontal 5 cross-section- This finish is commonly known as the .ball finish, and its maximum diameter is-substantiallygreaterthan the diameter ofthe shoulder 2- andis substantially equalto the diameter oiuthe shouldertt The shoulder 5'has been-utilized more for appearance than for utilitarian purposes, while the shoulder B, constituting the ball finish, has been utilized to co-operate with the closure cap 1 to frictionally retain it on the container.

The cap illustrated herein preferably comprises a cover portion 8 and a depending skirt 9. The upper part of the skirt may be corrugated or knurled vertically at I to facilitate a grip for the cap. Intermediate the corrugations and the lower edge H of the cap are groups of projections I2 adapted to engage the ball finish to hold the cap in position. Preferably, the groups are arranged at intervals about the circumference of the cap and constitute at least three projections arranged one above another and extending circumferentially of the cap, each projection being several times as long as it is wide. The projections may be spaced from each other a distance substantially equal to their width. This permits the projection to snap over the ball finish and enables the finish to engage between two projectioiis 'to hold'the cap in proper position. Due to irregularities in the shape of the container, it is desirable that at least three projections be utilized so that the ball may engage intermediate the lower two projections, or intermediate the two upper projections, .to hold the cap with equal efilciency. In fact, if the ball should engage above the three projections forming the groups, the cap, by means of the construction of the lower edge thereof, would be held in proper position.

The lower edge of the cap, instead of being rolled, outwardly to form a wire edge, is bent inwardly throughout its circumference, as shown at. H. The edge itself is substantially smaller in size than the body part of the cap. The length of the skirt of the cap is such that, when the cap is applied to a container with. a suitable hermetic sealing cap thereon, the lower edge of the cap will terminate substantially at, or slightly above, the maximum diameter or central portion of theshoulder i By reason of the lower edge of the cap being reduced in size, this portion of the cap will grip the shoulder 5 and co-operate with the projections I2 to retain the-cap in position and to prevent the cap from tilting from one side to the other. It will be noted'that the cover cap 1 engages the container at the center of the ball finish and also at the shoulder 5, which provides, two engaging zones spaced a substantial distance, one above the other. These zones are more capable of holding the cap rigidly in position than the single sealing zone used heretofore. Another advantage of the construction is that the inturned lower edge of the 'cap fits snugly against the shoulder 5 of the container, giving the cap. and container a snug fit. The inturned edge is substantially in line with the lower arcuate side of the shoulder 5, giving a continuous line between the skirt of the cap and the container side wall, instead, of a broken line. If the lower edge of the closure cap should, by any chance, be slightly smaller than either the ball finish, or the finish of shoulder 5, this edge will be stretched sufficiently in application to permit ready removal.

In some cases, due to irregularities in the finish and to differences in the thickness, of the cork in the crown cork cap, the lower edge of the cover cap may engage the shoulder 5 slightly above the central portion thereof, that is, slightlyhigher than shown in Fig. 2. In other cases, the-cap may go down further on the container and extend over, to a slight extent, the central portion of the shoulder 5, as shown in Fig. 3. In either case, the contact between the inturned edge II and the shoulder is sufficient to position the cap properly on the container and to co-operate with the projections l2 to hold the cap in that position. In addition, the inturned edge gives the cap the appearance of being a continuation of the container surface.

In packing products by utilizing the present cap, the bottle is first filled and the crown cork cap applied to effect a hermetic seal and, thereafter, the present cover cap is applied merely by vertical pressure upon the cap. The projections l2 engage the ball finish, or a suitable cylindrical finish, to hold the cap in position. The shoulder 5' on the container is engaged by the inturned lower edge H of the cap to co-operate with the projections l2 in holding the cap in upright position and preventing accidental removal thereof. If the lower edge of the cap is slightly smaller than the finish on the container, this edge may be stretched slightly, during the application of the cap, without materially increasing the effort required to remove the cap. The lower edge, by reason of its resiliency, holds the cap in proper position irrespective of whether it engages slightly above the maximum diameter of the shoulder 5 or slightly below. The consumer buys the ketchup, removes the crown cork or other cap forming the hermetic seal, and thereafter uses the cover cap 1 for reseal purposes while the contents of the container are being dispensed.

It will be seen that the present invention provides a cap which may be readily and inexpensively manufactured. It is adapted to be used as a covercap in combination with a crown cork sealing cap, or in combination with other suitable closures, to provide a very effective reseal after the package has been opened. The projections andthe inturned flange co-operate to seal the cap tightly upon the container, thereby minimizing the tendency of the capsto be removed prematurely during shipment. The manufacture and sealing operation of the cap are greatly simplified and are adapted to be performed by automatic machinery. The caps are attractive and enhance the appearance. of the package. The inturned lower edge forms, virtually, a continuation of the arcuate lower side of the shoulder 5 when the cover cap is applied to the container.

As various changes may be made in the form, construction and arrangement of the parts herein without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention and without sacrificing any of its advantages, it is to be understood that all matter herein is to be interpreted as illustrative and not in a. limiting sense.

Having thus described my invention, I claim:

I. In a sealed package, the combination of a container having a pair of arcuate cap engaging shoulders and a closure cap having indentations in the skirt thereof adapted to engage one of said shoulders, the lower portion of the skirt of the cap being continuous and being constricted inwardly to: reinforce the skirt and adapted to lock with the second sealing shoulder substantially below its maximum diameter to prevent the cap from tiltc.

2'. In a, package, the combination of a container having: a ball finish at the upper end thereof, a shoulder below said ball finish, a closure cap having groups of projections for engaging said ball finish, each of said groups of projections having a seriesof horizontally disposed projecting ribs positioned one above another at least two of which engage with said ball finish above and. below its maximum diameter, the lower edge of the skirt of the cap being continuous and being flanged inwardly to engage and lock with the shoulder of the container below the maximum diameter of the shoulder, and said lower edge being adapted to cooperate with said projections to hold the cap in upright position on the container when forced completely downward into sealed position.

3. In a package, the combination of a container having a ball finish substantially at the upper end. thereof and an annular arcuate shoulder below said finish, and a closure cap having a series of projections spaced circumferentially of the skirt thereof adapted to engage said ball finish sub stantially at the maximum diameter, a second series of projections spaced circumierentially of the skirt and spaced above said first series, a third series of projections spaced below said first series, whereby the ball finish may engage between either the upper two or lower two projections, and a continuous annular inwardly inclined flange at the lower edge of the skirt of the cap, and having an inner diameter substantially equal to the maximum diameter of the shoulder and adapted to engage and grip the under side of said shoulder and cooperate with said series of projections to lock said cap on said container, said inwardly inclined flange being also adapted to merge with the curvature of the shoulder to improve the appearance of the package.

4. A closure cap formed of a single piece of material comprising a cover portion, an elongated continuous depending skirt, a series of groups of projections spaced circumferentially about the skirt of the cap, each of said groups of projections comprising three circumferentially extending ribs positioned one upon another, said projections being adapted to engage a ball finish on a container, and an annular continuous inwardly extending flange on the bottom of the skirt adapted to reinforce the skirt of the cap, said inwardly extending flange being adapted to look under an annular continuous bead provided on the container to cooperate with said projections in holding a cap upon a container.

EDGAR SCOFIELD. 

